The above statement might seem counterintuitive. After all, we are a home care company and without clients we would cease to be in business.
We don’t look just for clients…we look for Partners!
Many people (and some home care companies) see care as an hourly commodity. Families need care and go to a company to hire them a caregiver. Sounds simple. However, after 7 years of working in this business we have found that simple model to be flawed. Care is so personal. It involves having a new person enter one’s intimate space and assist with some activities that can be quite uncomfortable without the proper approach and humility. To us, care is anything but a commodity…rather is it a calling.
Think about this. At the onset of a new client, a caregiver is sent (or in our case introduced) into someone’s intimate space. A space that might bring with it, family dynamics, pets, issues with clutter, possibly challenges with handling day-to-day finances, anxiety, etc.
Depending on the case, the residence might (or might not) have been modified to help someone that has mobility issues…maybe even has lifts and bed side commodes, etc. The person the caregiver is to help might be resistant…after all, the caregiver is there because their client (at some level) is losing their independence. The client might even be resentful the caregiver is there and flat out not want them to help or be there, despite the need.
So, a caregiver has to go into the aforementioned situation and figure out how to balance all of that and make “lemonade out of lemons.” That is a daunting task…but absolutely necessary if there is to be a positive outcome.
Now consider that the caregiver also has their own life to live. Caregivers have families…they too have health issues from time-to-time. They have bills to pay, cars to maintain and might even be caring for their own loved one. Kids sometimes get sick. Then, they, like all of us, have to navigate Atlanta traffic. Who has not been late due to an accident or construction?! And caregiver’s cars break down sometimes just like ours!
The Partnership
So, let’s go back to where we started. When we sit with a family, the first thing we tell them is “if you want this to work and you genuinely want a positive outcome, you need to think of care as a three-way partnership. A partnership between your caregiver(s), Caring Companions Management Team and YOU!”
Caring Companions will do everything we can to create a positive outcome, but we cannot do it alone. We will do everything we can to make our caregivers successful, including giving them 24-hour access to our Geriatric RN, Geriatric Care Coordinator and Supervisor…even the owners…but we cannot do it alone.
About the caregivers…if he or she is good and aligned well, they become an extension of the client’s family. As such, they deserve to be treated well and as part of the team…not an hourly worker or employee. Embrace their lending a hand and enjoy the partnership
So, what do we mean by we cannot do it alone? if a family has unrealistic expectations or simply wants us to make their care challenges to simply disappear, it never works as well. There are uncontrollable aspects of this business. Since there are uncontrollable aspects to the business, work with us and not against us to create a successful outcome.
Families that want their caregivers and home care company to succeed almost ALWAYS have a positive outcome.
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